Marijuana is no longer a taboo substance in society, and many countries worldwide have legalized marijuana use for recreational and medicinal purposes. As per a report in marijuana world news, Uruguay was one of the first countries to allow marijuana use for recreational purposes.
Countries like the US, Canada, Netherlands, South Africa, and Spain followed Uruguay’s footsteps and legalized marijuana consumption. Unfortunately, several people think the only way to consume marijuana is by smoking weed. This blog post discusses popular ways of consuming marijuana.
Ways of Consuming Marijuana
There are four main ways to consume marijuana: topical, sublingual, inhalation, and oral. Each method has unique characteristics that make it less or more appropriate for users. Here is some detailed information about each way of consuming marijuana.
- Inhalation
Inhalation is the fastest method of delivery in marijuana consumption. When you inhale marijuana, the majority of the cannabinoids enter your lungs, and they enter your bloodstream directly from your lungs.
The effect of inhaling marijuana is almost instantaneous, and most people start experiencing effects within 10 to 15 minutes of the first few puffs. There are two ways of inhaling marijuana – smoking and vaping.
- Smoking
As per the marijuana world news report, smoking is the most preferred way to consume marijuana. Smoking marijuana involves taking the marijuana flower and burning it in a smoke pipe or chillum and inhaling the active components released in the form of smoke.
- Vaping
Vaping is also similar to smoking. The only difference is you do not burn the cannabis. Instead, it involves heating the cannabis concentrate at a high temperature, and you inhale the vapor released in the process. Experts mention vaping is healthier than smoking as there is a reduced risk of organic matter getting into your respiratory system.
- Oral
Oral consumption of marijuana means ingesting marijuana orally. It can be done in the form of oil, tinctures, capsules, and edibles. Experts mention oral ingestion of marijuana is slower as the cannabinoids need to go through to the digestive system before they are passed into the bloodstream. However, oral ingestion of marijuana produces the strongest effects.
People who consume marijuana orally report feelings or effects after 30 minutes to one hour. The peak effects are experienced around the two-hour mark, and the effect stays as long as six hours. One reason for experiencing stronger effects in oral marijuana consumption is the cannabinoids react with digestive enzymes in your stomach that make them stronger.
- Sublingual
Sublingual refers to a method where you keep marijuana under the tongue and hold it in your mouth. The human mouth has many blood vessels spread in a smaller region. These blood vessels absorb cannabinoids and transfer them to your bloodstream.
Some of the common types of marijuana products intended for sublingual use are medicated lozenges, tinctures, sublingual sprays, and dissolvable strips.
- Topical
The fourth way of consuming marijuana is through topical application. Marijuana products like salves, lotions, bath salts, and oils can be directly applied to your skin. The skin has a complex process of absorbing cannabinoids, and it mainly depends on the chemical’s ability to dissolve in H2O.
Topical cannabis applications are generally recommended to reduce inflammation and pain in a certain area. The topical method works well with older generations, especially people with arthritis. Research shows that topical application of marijuana to joints helps reduce pain and the effect stays for one to two hours.
Now that you know popular ways of consuming marijuana, you can select the best method per your preference and desired effect.